Investigative and Clinical Urology

Robot-assisted ureteral reconstruction for managing kidney transplant patients with ureteric complications
Shin D, Kang S, Rhew SA, Yoon CE, Moon HW, Park YH and Cho HJ
To evaluate the feasibility of robot-assisted ureteral reconstruction as a minimally invasive alternative to open surgery for managing ureteric complications in transplanted kidneys.
Effects of a supplement associating strains and proanthocyanidin-rich plant extracts against recurrent uncomplicated, urinary tract infections: A prospective, controlled study
Ait Abdellah S, Leblanc A, Dauchet Q, Blondeau C and Bohbot JM
Recurrent cystitis, particularly common in women, substantially diminishes patient quality of life and represents a major clinical practice and public health burden. Increasing development of resistance to antibiotics has encouraged the search for alternative treatments. The benefits of a food supplement associating two strains with proanthocyanidin A-rich cranberry and cinnamon extracts were evaluated in 80 women with a history of cystitis recurrence.
Multi-center, prospective, non-interventional, observational study on the efficacy and safety of Mirabek in adult patients with overactive bladder
Park JS, Jang WS, Kim J, Park MH and Ham WS
Mirabegron, the first-in-class beta-3 agonist, is the mainstay medication for overactive bladder (OAB). The aim of this study was to investigate the efficacy and safety of generic drugs of mirabegron (Mirabek) in adults diagnosed with OAB through a multicenter, prospective, non-interventional observational study.
Artificial intelligence can help individualize Wilms tumor treatment by predicting tumor response to preoperative chemotherapy
Nashat A, Alksas A, Aboulelkheir RT, Elmahdy A, Khater SM, Balaha HM, Sharaby I, Shehata M, Ghazal M, Abd El-Wadoud S, El-Baz A, Mosbah A and Abdelhalim A
To create a computer-aided prediction (CAP) system to predict Wilms tumor (WT) responsiveness to preoperative chemotherapy (PC) using pre-therapy contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CECT).
DRG2 levels in prostate cancer cell lines predict response to PARP inhibitor during docetaxel treatment
Lee JM, Lee WH, Cho SH, Park JW, Kwon HN, Kim JH, Lee SH, Yoon JH, Park S and Kim SC
Developmentally regulated GTP-binding protein 2 (DRG2) regulates microtubule dynamics and G2/M arrest during docetaxel treatment. Poly ADP-ribose polymerase (PARP) acts as an important repair system for DNA damage caused by docetaxel treatment. This study investigated whether DRG2 expression affects response to PARP inhibitors (olaparib) using prostate cancer cell lines PC3, DU145, LNCaP-FGC, and LNCaP-LN3.
Anti-inflammatory effect of sea buckthorn in an HCl-induced cystitis rat model
Yoon HS, Yu J, Kang S and Yoon H
Although the mechanism underlying interstitial cystitis/bladder pain syndrome (IC/BPS) remains unclear, oxidative stress is suggested to be implicated in IC/BPS development. Sea buckthorn (SB; L.) contains several compounds with antioxidant properties. In addition, intravesical application of hydrochloric acid (HCl) in rats induces histological changes similar to those observed in humans with IC. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate the anti-inflammatory effects of SB in an HCl-induced rat cystitis model.
Incidence and mortality of upper tract urothelial carcinoma in Korea: A nationwide population-based study conducted from 2002 to 2020
Moon S, Ha YS, Kim M, Kim H, Kim WT, Kim YJ, Yun SJ, Lee SC and Kang HW
To describe the incidence and mortality of upper tract urothelial carcinoma (UTUC) from 2002-2020 using data from the Korean National Health Insurance Service, which contains data from the entire Korean population.
Rise in intraluminal temperature during ureteroscopy: Is this a concern?
Kim HJ and Hong SK
The global increase in urolithiasis prevalence has led to a shift towards minimally invasive procedures, such as retrograde intrarenal surgery, supported by advancements in laser technologies for lithotripsy. Pulsed lasers, particularly the holmium YAG and the newer thulium fiber laser, have significantly transformed the management of upper urinary tract stones. However, the use of high-power lasers in these procedures introduces risks of heat-related injury. Laser lithotripsy works through photothermal and photomechanical effects to fragment stones, but up to 96% of the laser energy is converted into heat, increasing the risk of thermal damage to the surrounding urothelial mucosa. Studies show that even at low-power settings, intrarenal temperatures can exceed the threshold for cellular injury, particularly in confined spaces like the ureter. This narrative review explores strategies to mitigate thermal injury, including optimizing laser settings, improving irrigation flow rates, and incorporating novel methods such as cold irrigation, controlling outflow resistance, and using suction. Understanding these approaches is crucial to enhancing patient safety during high-power laser lithotripsy procedures.
A multicenter micro-costing analysis of flexible cystoscopic procedures in Korea
Je U, Han WK, Jeong HK, Lee H, Lee KS, Kang SK, Kwon BJ and Kuh SU
This study aims to develop and implement an economic evaluation using a micro-costing approach to provide a precise and transparent analysis of the direct costs of cystoscopic procedures in Korean hospitals. The study seeks to identify key cost components and evaluate whether current reimbursement rates accurately reflect these direct costs.
Ablation of IGFBP5 expression alleviates neurogenic erectile dysfunction by inducing neurovascular regeneration
Ock J, Yin GN, Liu FY, Huang Y, Fridayana FR, Vo MN and Ryu JK
To investigate the therapeutic potential of eliminating insulin-like growth factor-binding protein 5 (IGFBP5) expression in improving erectile function in mice with cavernous nerve injury (CNI)-induced erectile dysfunction (ED).
Prostate cancer theragnostics biomarkers: An update
Kumar Am S, Rajan P, Alkhamees M, Holley M and Lakshmanan VK
Biomarkers are molecules such as proteins, genes, or other substances that may be tested to determine the stage of the tumor in a patient. The role of prostate cancer biomarkers is pivotal and the combination of prostate cancer immunotherapy with efficient biomarkers has emerged as a beneficial treatment strategy and its use has increased rapidly. The two primary objectives of this current prostate cancer early detection programs were recognizing non-symptomatic individuals with prostate cancer requiring prostatic core biopsy and identifying men with prostate cancer who might benefit from definitive medical treatment. The progress that has been made so far in the identification of the biomarkers that can be used for the classification, prediction and prognostication of prostate cancer, and as major targets for its clinical intervention has been well summarized in this review.
Association between soy products and prostate cancer: A systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies
Huang Y, Wang W and Jin J
The effect of soy products on prostate cancer (PCA) remains a topic of debate. This study aimed to investigate the association between soy products consumption and the incidence of PCA.
Application of deep learning for semantic segmentation in robotic prostatectomy: Comparison of convolutional neural networks and visual transformers
Pak S, Park SG, Park J, Choi HR, Lee JH, Lee W, Cho ST, Lee YG and Ahn H
Semantic segmentation is a fundamental part of the surgical application of deep learning. Traditionally, segmentation in vision tasks has been performed using convolutional neural networks (CNNs), but the transformer architecture has recently been introduced and widely investigated. We aimed to investigate the performance of deep learning models in segmentation in robot-assisted radical prostatectomy (RARP) and identify which of the architectures is superior for segmentation in robotic surgery.
Using machine learning to construct the diagnosis model of female bladder outlet obstruction based on urodynamic study data
Zhou Q, Li G, Cui K, Mao W, Lin D, Yang Z, Chen Z, Hu Y and Zhang X
To intelligently diagnose whether there is bladder outlet obstruction (BOO) in female with decent detrusor contraction ability by focusing on urodynamic study (UDS) data.
Multi-pharmacological treatment for young subfertile males with chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome
Lee DH and Yu YD
This study evaluated the effectiveness of chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome (CP/CPPS) treatments using multiple pharmaceutical agents that could simultaneously preserve or enhance fertility capability.
Prevalence and economic burden of male anogenital wart in Korea: A population-based big data analysis from 2007 to 2018
Chung H, Choi JB, Kim S, Lee SJ and Bae S
To investigate the prevalence of anogenital warts (AGW) caused by human papillomavirus in men and the characteristics and changes of the disease in Korea.
Analysis of sleep pattern in patients with nocturnal enuresis: A prospective, observational, pilot study
Lee DG and Kim SC
This study aimed to analyze the sleep patterns of patients with nocturnal enuresis (NE) using a wearable brain-wave-sensing device.
Dasatinib induces apoptosis and autophagy by suppressing the PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway in bladder cancer cells
Ho JN, Byun SS, Kim D, Ryu H and Lee S
Bladder cancer is a common genitourinary malignant disease worldwide. Dasatinib is a small molecule inhibitor of Src family kinases. We investigated the anticancer effect and putative molecular mechanisms of dasatinib on T24 and cisplatin-resistant T24R2 human bladder cancer cells.
The continuing legacy of
Park K
Pseudoepitheliomatous hyperplasia of the penis: A rare mimic of squamous cell carcinoma
Mujahid MT, Panwar VK, Shubhankar G and Mittal A
Improving intravesical botulinum toxin-A injection technique: Reshaping the needle may benefit more
Hameed F, Anwaar A, Karamat RI and Anwar M